I recently discussed the Free Odds bet. https://roadgambler.com/craps/craps-simple-beginners-guide-free-odds-bet/ Let’s now discuss the cousin of the Free Odds bet, the place bet.
Place bets are one of the most popular bets in the game of craps.
The Basics of the Craps Table In casinos, craps is played at a table, usually one covered in green felt. The bets available are labeled on the felt. The table is also the playing surface for the game – you roll the dice on the same table where you place your bets. Home » Blog » Craps: A Simple Beginner’s Guide to the Free Odds Bet Let me begin by apologizing to our beginner craps players. I pride myself on being a good teacher, but I overlooked the fact the I have not yet written an article dedicated to the free odds bet.
The chips that are straddling the lines in the picture below are place bets. The green chips, resting on top of the red chips, are come bet odds.
The place bets above are identified by their placement in the middle of the box lines, whereas the come bet + odds are entirely inside the box.
WHAT ARE PLACE BETS?
Place bets are wagers that a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 will roll before the number 7 rolls. The 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 are known as ‘box numbers’. They’re called box numbers because on the craps layout, the numbers are literally in an area that is box-shaped as seen in the pic above.
The player may wager on any, all, or any assortment of the box numbers.
Betting on all the box numbers is known as betting ‘across’.
Betting on the 5, 6, 8, and 9 is known as betting ‘inside’.
Betting on the 4, 5, 9, and 10 is known as betting ‘outside’.
A lesser known place bet assortment is betting on ‘even’, which is 4, 6, 8, and 10.
Generally, while some players say ‘even’ to signify betting on the 4, 6, 8, and 10, players generally do NOT say ‘odd’ to bet on the 5 and 9. They just say, ‘5 and 9’. The reason is that the term ‘odd’ has the meaning of the free odds bet.
Unlike the odds bet, however, a place bet does not need to be accompanied by a pass or come bet; in other words, there is no ‘flat’ bet requirement. A bettor can wager a place bet by itself, with no other bets on the table. As a matter of fact, many players play place bets and nothing else.
WIN-LOSS CONDITIONS OF THE PLACE BETS
The place bets have exactly the same win-loss conditions as the odds bet. The place bet will win if the point assigned to that odds bet rolls before the 7 rolls.
For example, if the place bet is on the 8, and the 8 rolls before the 7 rolls, then the place bet on the 8 will win.
If the 7 rolls before the 8 rolls, then the place bet on the 8 (and any other ‘working’ place bet) will lose.
Place bets can also be wagered and made live at any time. Be warned that typically if the bettor has a place bet, and the next roll is a come out roll, then the place bet will NOT be working unless the bettor tells the dealer that the place bet is working. Place bets, unless declared otherwise, are always presumed to be off on the come out roll.
PROPER BETTING INCREMENTS
You must be aware of proper betting increments on the place bets. Warning: betting increments on the place bets are different from the proper betting increments on the odds bets.
The following are the payouts for each point…
Place bet on 4 or 10
Place bet on 5 or 9
Point is 6 or 8
PAYOFF ON THE PLACE BETS
Place bet on 4 or 10
Place bet on 5 or 9
Point is 6 or 8
CONCLUSION
Place betting is one of the best bets at the craps table. While not as good mathematically as the odds bet, the place bet has the advantage over most other bets in that the place bets take, on average, 4 rolls of the dice to resolve. Imagine how much longer you could play, and how long your bankroll would last if on a game, such as blackjack, where you had to play four hands to win or lose one wager. Or if you had to spin the reel on a slot machine four times to determine a win or lose.
Most players are not fans of waiting out the protracted time it takes to resolve a single place bet. For those players, myself included, I prefer to make multiple bets, which is a viable option.
TEST YOUR MIGHT!
So now that you’ve read this article and you can identify the place bets on the layout, let’s take a little pop quiz.
In the pic below, identify the bets that are NOT place bets…
Answer below…
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Bonus question…
Of the chips in the pic directly above, with the four arrows, how many bets are NOT place bets? In other words, identify the bets that are NOT place bets…
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Answer:
There are five bets that are not place bets.
The bets that are NOT place bets are the following:
Remember, the odds bet cannot be made without a come bet, so there is a come bet hiding under the odds bet.
Have you come here to find an answer to the eternal question how to make a killing at a casino? I don’t want to disappoint you, but there is no definite answer to this question. Nobody has and won’t be able to reach such level of skill which could influence on the outcome of rolling a pair of dice during a craps game. The best strategy is managing your bets.
We can’t guarantee you will win every session with these tips, but according to anecdotal reports these tips increase your chances of winning. Your mileage may vary. Good luck and may Lady Luck shine down upon you.
The ability to manage your money is very important when playing craps. Everyone is eager to leave the casino a big winner, however, more likely than not, you will go home with a slight loss. The casinos might go broke if everyone left casino with a win. That’s why the casino always has an advantage over the player. Fortunately, craps has the best possible house edge if you place the Pass/Don’t Pass, Come/Don’t Come bets and the Odds bets.
But that’s not all there is to winning. If you want to win, you must be disciplined and have a proper mental attitude. If you can make good use of your bets by placing the Odds bets, manage your money and keep your head in the orchestrated chaos we call craps, you will surely have a great time and get the highest chances to walk away with some extra money.
There are lots of money management schemes around, but not all of them successful. Try to find the one that will work for you, and stick to it. You can use several in combination as well. Do whatever that can bring your losses to nothing or leave the casino with some of the money won during a game of craps. Try to be strict with yourself. You’ve declared war to the casino gods whose only goal is to take away your money.
When playing craps you can make and lose fortunes in a flash. In the event that you have managed to somehow win big money (not something you sometimes pull off when you play at a casino); get the heck out of Dodge. Don’t stay a minute longer. Just get out of there. Run; don’t walk, as fast as you can, and don’t look back.
Establish your bankroll, and abide by it. When your bankroll runs out, you should go away. You should never bet with money that you can’t afford to lose.
If you are on a winning streak, try to put away at least half your winnings, and play only with your original bankroll. Once the original bankroll is gone, you still go away with some money. You can also use this strategy in reverse: put your original bankroll away and only play with your winnings.
Divide your bankroll by 50, and you can probably have a good time for hours. For example, if you have $100, wager no more than $2 per round.
Assume you start with a stake of $100, and you want to play as long as you can.
If you go away with some money in your pocket, you will be in a good mood realizing you have had a good time at the craps table.
Craps is a vivid and fast-paced game that wants concentration and fast reflections amidst the chaos. Play craps only when you feel you are up to the task. Your energy level probably affects your play, and your play will surely affect your mental attitude. Make sure you are on firm ground when you are going to sit down at the craps table. If you aren’t, consider another less vivid game or go to some other place to have fun until you are up to the craziness that is the favourite of the impetuous crowd – craps!